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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. land — a country
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. land — ground
  7. pop — music
  8. pit — a hole
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. craft — a skill
  13. fork — in a road
  14. pop — to visit
  15. land — to come down
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pit — in a race
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. craft — boats
  24. pop — soda

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com